U.S. to Launch Operation Dessert Storm

The cake, from California, will be dropped near the cities of Mazar-i-Sharif and Kunduz in the north and Kandahar in the south, said Sgt. Maj. Raymond Cordell, head of public affairs at the U.S.-British guarded Bagram air base north of Kabul, the capital.

Today is the start of the three-day celebrations of Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a time of dawn-to-dusk fasting.

One of the traditional ways to mark the holiday is to share sweets, especially cake, with family.

"It's the end of Ramadan, and we thought that after all the Afghan people have suffered, this could be one way to show our respect," Cordell said.